Apps We Love: Spot!

Spot App Icon

Looking for an app you can feel good about letting your child use?  How about one that encourages storytelling through imaginary travel between abstract, interconnected worlds; where a visual adventure unfolds as you venture into spaces that transition into one another, encountering robots, frolicking insects, the underbelly of a lounge chair, an eerie underwater world and more! This is the idea behind Spot, a mesmerizing new app from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Caldecott Medal-winning author David Wiesner. A virtual riot of creative landscapes and characters reveals itself via the pinch-and-zoom feature of your iPad. Simply zoom and scroll to move through dazzling scenes, delving into worlds within worlds realized in Wiesner’s gorgeous original artwork.

screenshot from Spot

I honestly cannot recommend this app highly enough - it's a solid five stars! It is intricately designed, artfully-rendered, and packed with stories simply waiting to be told! While visiting each of the the various worlds, children can select a cast of characters, and spin stories crafted in their own imaginations. The possibilities are virtually endless, and the artwork inspires creative thinking and lots of giggles; each visit truly guarantees a unique experience!

Perfect for home or on the go, the app retails for only $3.99 and, while it is geared primarily for children ages 6-8, younger children could easily enjoy it with parental assistance and my almost-10-year-old daughter enjoys it immensely. It is also an ideal tool for the classroom. There is also a free companion eBook for this app called David Wiesner’s Spot: A Parent and Educator Guide, which contains prompts and questions to enhance your child’s experience with the app, as well as unique writing and classroom activities for teachers.

screenshot from Spot

My final word: there are few better ways to spend four dollars! Spot is a brilliantly executed app that disguises education as fun.  It not only encourages creative thinking and storytelling, but exposes children to art and three-dimensional spatial thinking.  My only criticism is that Spot is currently only available for iOS-compatible devices (a bitter pill to swallow for this loyal Android fan!); a critique I only mention because I would love to see this app available on multiple platforms to maximize its potential user reach.  To all our readers with young children, I say: go get your copy of Spot today!

Safe, happy, and exciting travels!

-Destination Mom

*In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a complimentary copy of this app to review.